Close to the Edge: Chablis 2018 & 2019
featured, France: Burgundy
, Sep 2020
The 2018 and 2019 Chablis growing seasons are cut from a similar cloth, but on close examination there are crucial differences that sway their respective styles. This report compares the two and asks to what extent climate change might erode Chablis’ uniqueness.
Vinous Table: Le Pot d’Etain, L’Isle-sur-Serein, France
Vinous Table, France: Burgundy
, Sep 2020
If pure enjoyment is the measure of a restaurant, then Le Pot d’Etain scored highly – certainly far higher than circumspect naysayers had led me to believe.
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2017 Domaine Leroy: Elegance, Finesse & Grace
featured, France: Burgundy
, Sep 2020
Burgundy is where I truly learned to taste wine. It is the best school. Essentially one variety for white, one for red and that’s it. The rest is all about place, about trying to understand how the attributes of a site are expressed in what is in the glass. Nowhere is that more true than at Domaine Leroy, where everything that Burgundy represents, its purest essence, is dialed up all the way.
Cellar Favorite: 2010 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Perrières 1er Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, Aug 2020
Many of my most unforgettable moments in wine involve tasting fine, aged white Burgundy. There is just nothing like the thrill a perfectly stored bottle can deliver after 20, 30 or more years.
Taupenot-Merme: Mazoyères-Chambertin 2002-2017
featured, Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy
, Aug 2020
Taupenot-Merme has become one of the leading Morey-based producers over the last decade. This article examines their crown jewel of Mazoyères-Chambertin from 2017 back to 2002.
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Beyond Wine: Getting Back in the Saddle
Beyond Wine, France: Burgundy
, Jul 2020
Since my trip to Bordeaux in late February, the question on my mind has been when and how I could restart visits abroad. Five months later I ventured back into a new landscape when I drove to Chablis and found aspects that are reassuringly exactly the same and others that are different.
2017 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: A Day’s Work
featured, Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy
, Jul 2020
The annual presentation of new releases from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in early March was the last tasting I attended before lockdown. Initially I thought I would publish this article as a bookend, when things returned to normal. Back then, I could have never imagined where we would be today. After reading Neal Martin’s article Complex, Not Complicated: 2017 DRC in Bottle chronicling the London edition, I decided to shamelessly rip off his format. So, here you have my version…
The Good, Bad and Ugly: Burgundy 2010, 2003 & 2004
featured, France: Burgundy
, Jun 2020
Three snapshot tastings of mature Burgundy vintages, 2003 and 2004 reds and 2010 whites, served as a reminder that whilst some vintages repay cellaring, others can remain “ugly ducklings”.
Cellar Favorite: 2001 Robert Ampeau et Fils Volnay Santenots 1er Cru
cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites, France: Burgundy
, May 2020
As we look through the top Premier and Grand Crus of red Burgundy, the one appellation that I feel delivers a top-level experience at prices that remain reasonable is Volnay. When you couple this with the late-releasing house of Robert Ampeau, and their Premier Cru Santenots, we are really treated to something special.
Burgundy New Releases: A Bit of Everything…
featured, France: Burgundy
, May 2020
Our latest Burgundy update covers a smattering of wines Neal Martin and Antonio Galloni have tasted in recent months, everything from entry-level offerings all the way up to Grand Crus. For more on Burgundy, readers might want to revisit Neal’s 2018 Burgundy: Confounded Expectations and Antonio’s Postcard from Chablis: The 2018s & 2017s.